Through Time
by AngelWing1138
Summary: They started off as two people who couldn't stand being near one another. They ended being inseperable. 8059


A/N: There are spelling errors, there might be a bit of OoC-ness. This is my first ever Katekyo Hitman Reborn story. It is a birthday present for my friend, whom I shall hereon call 'Kit' here. I love her, and today is her 18th birthday. She loves this pairing a lot, so I thought I should write her a story. =) My ship is 8027, personally. Heehee. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn (KHR) belongs to Amano Akira.

* * *

He stood in front of the mirror, straightening out his tie.

It had been a skill he had only acquired quite recently. He had never fully gotten the concept of tying a tie before, as he had never been in a situation where he needed to have a tie. Sure, he'd been to formal events like weddings and a school dance or two, but he'd always gotten away with a nice shirt, pressed pants, and a jacket with either black sneakers or a pair of dress shoes his dad had lent him. That had been the extent of his 'formal wear' for the 16 years of his life.

Then he had met Sawada Tsunayoshi, and everything in his life had changed—and he, personally, thought it for the better.

After all, if it hadn't been for Tsuna, he wouldn't have been introduced to the 'mafia game' that he realized a few years ago was very real and very serious (though he still took it like a game most of the time).

If it hadn't been for Tsuna, he wouldn't have met all the people in his family that he held so close to his heart, if any of them were injured he'd gladly go out and kill the ones who did it (since usually injuries would be the result of an enemy mafia, and not falling down the stairs or something).

If it hadn't been for Tsuna, he wouldn't have met the love of his life.

Gokudera Hayato.

Yamamoto Takeshi smiled a little as the thought of the Italian man passed through his mind while he looked over the rest of his appearance. Gokudera was as crass, short-tempered and frighteningly protective as they could get. He had an attitude that sucked beyond all reason, an intellect that did not match his character worth one cent, and a sense of loyalty that you could not find in anyone else. If you had the pleasure of being one of the few people that he held close to his heart, you had a bodyguard for life as he would rather blow up the entire continent than allow anyone he cared for to be hurt.

For the longest time, the only person who had the pleasure of being cared for to such a degree was Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Sighing, Yamamoto straightened his jacket and buttoned it up properly, running fingers through his short black hair before deciding he looked decent enough for the real world. Quietly grabbing his cell phone and keys for his motorbike, he left the comfort of his room, closing the door soundlessly behind him.

When Yamamoto had first met Gokudera, he thought that they were pretty much going to be enemies for the rest of their days. For some reason, Yamamoto seemed to piss off the Italian to unnatural degrees, seeing as every time he had gone near the other boy Gokudera would have this irked expression on his face; lips twisted in a grimacing pout, arms crossed against his chest defiantly, and eyes narrowed at his mere presence. It was like the only reason Gokudera spent any time with him at all was because Tsuna wanted to be Yamamoto's friend. And for a long time, Yamamoto was fine with that; even if he did it against his will Gokudera spent his days in Yamamoto and the two got to know each other. Over time, Gokudera could even grudgingly call him, 'someone worth the Tenth's time', which he gladly took as 'someone who he could stand'.

As time went on, though, and the 'mafia game' turned too deadly to be child's play, the two started to depend on each other for both their strengths as the Rain and Storm guardians and for protecting Tsuna from the dangerous people that seemed to continually come calling. They had been watching each other's backs throughout so many dangerous circumstances that Gokudera dropped the antagonistic attitude towards Yamamoto and accepted that the baseball fanatic was going to be part of his life whether he liked it or not; the best option was to act decent towards him. And as this new relationship of tentative friends to comrades to good friends grew, Yamamoto became someone Gokudera was exceedingly protective of (yet whenever confronted about this new development, Gokudera would vehemently deny it and stomp off with a face the shade of a ripe beet).

Yamamoto smiled to members of the Family as he walked through the halls towards the garage, waving to the Guardians that lived among them and swapping bits of news between people who would stop him to talk, asking about this, that and whatever. Every time he would be stopped, he'd glance at his watch and inwardly sigh knowing he was going to be delayed but not wanting to seem rude.

The two had been close friends for many years, spending evenings out at pubs or on missions together or training, meanwhile sharing tidbits about themselves so that they could truthfully say they knew the basics of each other plus more. Gokudera could make up a plan on the spot in the middle of a tough situation, look over at Yamamoto, and suddenly that plan would be easily conveyed to Yamamoto without a single word being said. Tsuna would comment that the two of them had to be the best partners out of anyone in the Family, smiling and saying that he was glad that they were on his side. This would usually cause Yamamoto to grin sheepishly and comment that it was nothing while Gokudera would be bowing and gushing about how wonderful a compliment his boss had given them. They had a very good life going for them.

And then everything had changed.

It had all begun when Yamamoto was sent out on a mission by himself, as the Family had been stretched thin lately and Gokudera, being the best defensive member Tsuna had, was required to stay behind. The mission had seemed like a simple one; find the target, dispose of the target, and burn whatever information they had on them and return back to report. What he had not been counting on was for the target to have friends, or for him to be landed in an ambush.

The following fight was won by Yamamoto, but he had been worse for wear and sent to the Family hospital.

He had been told that when Gokudera had been told that he had been injured and was at the time resting and recuperating in the hospital, the Storm guardian had flipped a lid and freaked out enough that Tsuna was forced to order him to go visit the Rain guardian. He had then come to Yamamoto's room, prepared to yell at him for being careless and stupid and worrying the Tenth like that. What had come out instead was 'You fucking idiot. Don't scare me like that ever again' followed by a sudden onslaught of tears.

They had both known then that life wouldn't be the same for them.

Gokudera had come to visit him in the hospital every day that he could at the exact same time, talking to Yamamoto and giving him information about what was happening in the Family, explaining about missions that everyone was being sent on, etc. They would play card games and watch movies, Gokudera bringing him books because he apparently 'didn't read enough and that caused him to be an idiot'. Yamamoto's nurse had become so accustomed to Gokudera's appearance that she started to bring the two of them snacks throughout the day, lingering to chat with the both of them and tell stories about the hospital; like this one time one of the patients who had cancer had wandered onto the children's ward and was found playing with three little boys and Lego©, building a castle and telling a story about the castle from the top of his head.

On the last night of Yamamoto's stay in the hospital, before he had left Gokudera had bent and kissed Yamamoto's forehead. When he had seen Yamamoto's look of shock he had fled, leaving the baseball fanatic to be confused and restless that night. When Yamamoto had seen the bomber later the next day after being released, he had marched straight up to the shorter man, grabbed onto his shoulders and kissed him on the lips. They were then found by a teenage Lambo, who had been shocked to say in the least before shrugging and muttering a 'finally' under his breath while walking away. It wasn't long after that when the entire Family found out about the newly developed relationship.

Yamamoto waved to Lambo as the now young adult walked away after talking to him about the Bovino Family, slipping into the garage and walking to his motorbike. After situating himself on the vehicle and starting the engine, he nodded to the man at the doors for him to open up zipping out of the garage once he was given the go ahead and turning sharply onto the road, leaning forward expertly.

The two hadn't acted any differently towards each other at the beginning of their shaky relationship. They were still sent on missions together, they still went to pubs and talked to each other, and they hadn't kissed since that first time. It had been wondered if the two would even last as a couple as they were polar opposites; whenever this was brought up in conversation, Yamamoto would laugh it off and Gokudera would glare at the person who questioned them, chewing on his cigarette in a way he really shouldn't. The first proper date the two shared hadn't been a real date at all, but a day to do some errands. Gokudera had a couple of books that he wanted to get from the library, and Yamamoto had offered to go with him. The two had dressed casually and had taken it upon themselves to use the local bus system instead of one of their motorbikes or a Family car, wanting to be as inconspicuous as they could be.

When they had gotten to the library, Gokudera had separated almost immediately from Yamamoto, becoming lost within the number of volumes, most of which Yamamoto still had trouble reading the titles of as they were all in Italian (he was still learning; it was very different than Japanese!). The Rain guardian had merely smiled, however, strolling through the books and looking at the titles he could read while keeping an eye out for his book-loving boyfriend. It hadn't been long until he had found him by a bookshelf near the Information desk, reaching up for a book on a shelf just too high for him to reach, four books already in his arms. Silently, like he was prone doing, Yamamoto came up behind him and placed a hand on his waist, grinning down at him when Gokudera jumped in surprise. He asked if he needed help and after a moment, pouting in what seemed to be the most adorable way ever, Gokudera consented that he _did_. Without removing his hand from the other's waist, Yamamoto reached up and grabbed the book, feeling Gokudera's back on his chest and feeling something warm pool in his stomach, spreading through his entire body and making him feel lighter. He then handed the book to Gokudera and the light haired man disappeared to the check out desk after a small nod in thanks.

After that day, Gokudera asked Yamamoto to go on more errands with him and Yamamoto was more comfortable touching him in public, even if it was in innocent ways like a hand to the waist, an arm wrapped around his shoulders of holding hands, fingers laced together unconsciously. They went out for groceries, for books and for little missions where Tsuna wanted a message hand delivered to Dino or to another boss; whatever errand was assigned to one, the other would be close behind them.

Their first real date happened when they had flown over to Japan to visit Yamamoto's father, and the older man had suggested that the two of them go walk around the locations of their childhood. The two had agreed, leaving Take Sushi to the ever happy-go-lucky Yamamoto-san. They had walked around Namimori Middle school and the park, familiar streets and their friends' homes for a while before they had finally come across the baseball field. Yamamoto had been excited when he had noticed that it was empty, though he was a little disappointed in the baseball team that had practiced there as some of the equipment was there.

Yamamoto turned a sharp corner on the road, weaving through traffic and sighing as people yelled at him in Italian. It wasn't like he had done any harm, had he? He didn't hear any car crashes, anyhow…

The two had gone up to the equipment, Yamamoto picking up a glove and fitting it to his hand. He had grinned, proclaiming that it was a perfect fit before he had turned to see Gokudera smiling a little with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette hanging from his lips. When Yamamoto had asked what he was thinking about, the Storm guardian told him that he was glad to see the baseball idiot back in his own environment. Yet Yamamoto had sensed that the other had wanted to say something else. When the Rain guardian prodded him enough, Gokudera admitted that he felt bad that Yamamoto had to give up something he had obviously loved for the mafia and what Gokudera loved. Even though he knew it wasn't because of him, Gokudera had said, he still felt like he had helped take Yamamoto away from something he had wanted to do.

Yamamoto had felt touched by this, before a brilliant (to him) idea had come to mind. He presented the idea to Gokudera, and that was how they ended up cleaning up the field for proper use, Gokudera looking at the bat in his hand as if it were evil and Yamamoto setting up the automatic baseball thrower that was in the field's storage shed. Yamamoto had suggested that the two play baseball, because he thought that it was only fair that Yamamoto share his old world with Gokudera, just as Gokudera constantly shared his world with him. Gokudera had admitted that he'd never played baseball, however, and that led to Yamamoto saying he would teach the Storm guardian how to play. Gokudera had (hesitantly) consented to the idea.

Once everything had been set up, Yamamoto had walked over to Gokudera, laughing when he saw the light haired man balancing the bat in his hand, obviously doing some calculations in his mind as to if the bat was the right weight for him. He had wordlessly taken the bat from Gokudera then, taking his hands and placing them in the right positions, telling him that baseball wasn't all that scientific and he found the best way to learn was by doing instead of theorizing. Gokudera, instead of usually arguing that theory was the best place to start anywhere, flushed and allowed Yamamoto to help him find the right grip on the bat.

Once in the right spot on the field and holding the bat as best as any beginner could, Yamamoto left Gokudera to turn on the baseball machine. He flipped the switch, watching as the machine took a baseball, which briefly disappeared into the mechanism before it shot out a baseball at a relatively slow speed; he had decided against throwing the ball himself, as that would lead to injuries and a very irked Gokudera. He then turned to watch Gokudera to see if he hit the ball, and watched as he completely missed, jumping as the ball hit the cage back and rolled to hit his heel. He had shaken his head, grinning and walking over to the Storm guardian as the machine slowly prepared for the next ball. He had situated the bat in Gokudera's hands again, before standing behind him, telling him that he was too tense, making his aim completely off. Yamamoto had placed his hands on top of the shorter man's hands, keeping a soft grip before he shifted Gokudera; the feeling of his back against his chest once again giving him a warm, light feeling throughout his entire body. The ball had shot out then, and Yamamoto guided Gokudera to hit the ball, watching as it flew to the other side of the field. Yamamoto had grinned, pleased that this plan seemed to have been going well. He had then turned to see Gokudera's expression, instead being caught by the other's eyes staring at him with something he didn't recognize.

Without even thinking, Yamamoto had bent down and kissed Gokudera for the second time. Unlike the first time, Gokudera kissed him back….until a baseball had hit his stomach, which then reminded Yamamoto to turn off the machine before someone was hurt.

Yamamoto sighed as he slowed down for a red light, leaning against the handlebars and staring off at the opposite traffic, smiling as he remembered their second kiss in the baseball field. It had been the first time Gokudera had kissed him back, and was therefore one of his happiest memories of the man. He scratched a scar on his chin, grinning a little.

When they had returned from their vacation to Japan, they had thrown themselves back into their work. People thought that they were a little different, though they couldn't find any obvious differences; they spoke to each other, they went out to do errands and missions together, they spent their nights in pubs having a drink or training. Then one day I-Pin had walked into Yamamoto's room to wake the Rain guardian up, as Tsuna had some missions of him, and found seen Gokudera already sitting on his bed, shaking him awake. She had left silently before the two had realized she was there.

It was after that initial contact that people continually walked in on them during a situation they thought they'd never see them in; like one time when Reborn had walked into the Rec Room to watch some television and found the two of them on the couch, noses touching and smiling as they leaned closer. Or the time when Chrome had looked into the infirmary and seen Yamamoto carrying Gokudera towards one of the beds, Gokudera asleep on his back with an obviously twisted ankle and Yamamoto with a worried line in his forehead. Tsuna himself had walked in on them kissing twice; once in the Rec Room, sitting on the floor with the television lighting them in the dark, the other time in Gokudera's sitting room in his suite, Yamamoto sitting on the floor with a baseball magazine, Gokudera lying on the couch, hands touching. No one had ever made mention of seeing them acting like a proper couple, knowing that Gokudera would be embarrassed or, if he learned Tsuna had walked in on them, mortified that the Tenth would maybe think that they weren't concentrating on the Family or his safety. So they allowed them the little comfort of acting like they didn't know better when the two of them quietly disappeared for a little while.

Once the red light changed, Yamamoto revved his motorbike to life, zipping down the road and grinning as he turned a few more sharp corners, laughing as little boys pointed at him in awe and girls swooned.

The two had gone through a lot together after they had met, including one time that had scared Yamamoto more than he would let on. Gokudera had ended up in the hospital because of a mission, yet unlike Yamamoto who had been able to be in the care of the Family doctor, Gokudera had to go to the real hospital as his wounds were very severe. Yamamoto had not left Gokudera's side the entire time, worrying by his bedside as he slept, sleeping in the waiting area and using the hospital bathroom facilities to shower while eating cafeteria food. Tsuna had told Yamamoto that he didn't have to come into work until Gokudera was back to full health when he had visited his Storm guardian, causing Yamamoto to hug him and thank him in a quiet voice before resuming his constant vigilance by the light haired man's side. When Gokudera had finally woken up, the first thing he saw was Yamamoto hunched over, biting his lip with his hands clasped in front of him. He watched as Yamamoto had turned to look at him, eyes widening when he saw that he was awake before suddenly the man was hugging onto him as hard as he could without hurting him, face buried in his neck and Gokudera would swear he felt hot tears on his skin, though he never mentioned it to the Rain guardian.

That was the day that Yamamoto had leaned back, kissed his forehead, and murmured that he loved him. And Gokudera, not two seconds later, said it back.

Yamamoto pulled into the parking lot of a fancy hotel, kicking out the kickstand and locking his motorbike once he got off, shoving the keys into his pocket as he walked towards the entrance doors. He smiled at the doorman who opened the door for him, nodding to him politely before walking to the receptionist, telling her the name of his room reservation. She smiled at him politely, giving him his room key and directing him to the room before wishing him a good day. Walking to the elevator, he pushed the 'Up' button, got into the small room and pressed the button for the top floor, watching his reflection in the metal door.

The elevator 'dinged' when he reached his floor, and he walked out quietly, walking to the door that held his number and inserting the key card, pushing the door open when the light flashed green. He then glanced up, grinning at what he was met with.

There was the living room area of the suite that he had reserved, with a table set up right in front of him with a table cloth and a dinner that had the cover over it to keep it warm. He placed his keys onto the counter, slipping off his shoes and his jacket, putting both into the closet before walking to the table, leaning over to smell the single rose in the vase. He smiled, looking at what was for dinner before he heard something from another room. Leaving his investigation for later, he walked over to a slightly ajar room, peeking in to see that it was the bedroom.

The bed was a king size, comfortable and big enough for seemingly all the guardians and their Boss. At the moment, however, a light haired man was sitting at the edge with the lamplight on, a book in his hands and his glasses perched on his nose. He was dressed in nice slacks, a button up shirt, and a tie that was loosened around his neck. Grinning, Yamamoto loosened his own tie, walking into the room and over to Gokudera, kissing his temple quietly in greeting. Gokudera glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow inquiringly. "Hm?"

"You're late," Gokudera stated then, closing his book and removing his glasses. He then gave Yamamoto his full attention, taking hold of his collar and bringing him down for a proper kiss. The dark haired swordsman placed a hand on the bed, the other wrapping around the light haired bomber's shoulders while Gokudera wrapped his arms around his neck, fingers threading through his hair or gripping on his shirt. After a while, Yamamoto pulled back, smiling and kissing Gokudera's nose endearingly.

"Happy anniversary to you, too, love."


End file.
